Our hearing is a unique sense influenced by our backgrounds and biology, which can result in our ears playing tricks on us through sonic illusions.
Sonic illusions, such as the use of binaural recordings and the shepherd tone, demonstrate how our perception of sound can be manipulated to create immersive experiences and a never-ending sense of tension.
Deep dives
Unveiling Bjork's Podcast: Sonic Symbolism
Bjork's new podcast, Sonic Symbolism, delves into the behind-the-scenes of her iconic albums, offering listeners a rare glimpse into her creative process. Each episode features unreleased versions, demos, and Bjork's personal commentary. Produced by Christian Coons from Song Exploder, the podcast promises an immersive experience for fans.
Exploring Sound Tricks and Sonic Illusions
This episode delves into the world of sound tricks and sonic illusions, exploring how our ears perceive and interpret sound. Listeners are introduced to the virtual barbershop, a binaural recording technique that simulates immersive sound. The episode also showcases the use of the shepherd tone, a sonic illusion that creates a never-ending sense of tension or anxiety. The director Christopher Nolan even based the movie 'Dunkirk' on this concept.
Subjectivity in Sound Perception
The podcast highlights the subjectivity of sound perception, using the Laurel Yanny debate as an example. Experts disagree on whether the phenomenon is related to frequencies or language and dialect. The episode also explores other sonic illusions, such as the tritone paradox and the Octave Illusion, which demonstrate how our prior knowledge, experience, and language shape our interpretation of sound.
What we hear is incredibly personal and we all hear things differently. Sometimes our ears can even play tricks on us. Sonic illusions put a spotlight on the unique function of our hearing and how our backgrounds and biology affect how we process sound. Psychologist Dr. Diana Deutsch and neuroscientist Dana Boebinger explain why our hearing is a unique sense and why sonic illusions can fool us.